Tag Archives: Mexican

Beef Mole

Braised Chuck in a Mexican Mole Sauce

Don’t look now, but this post is coming at you from Big Acres Gourmet Products!

I first learned of Big Acres Gourment when I overheard a conversation on Twitter (is that overtweard?) @melanieyunk talking about her amazing mole sauce that she demoed on the radio.

I. Love. Mole.

So of course I asked for a bottle.  I should have asked for case because I am so craving some more

Beef Mole

I promise not to say holy mole!  I promise!  But boy howdy was this stuff good.  For those who don’t know what mole is, it’s a Mexican sauce and the most widely known savory (non-dessert) usage of chocolate.  Mole is a combination of peppers and spices and bitter chocolate that forms this indescribable sauce.  When it’s done right, it’s mindblowing.

When it’s not done right… well, they’re called doggy bags for a reason.

The thing I liked about Big Acres is that their mole was sweet (from the raisins that they add), but also pleasantly spicy.  It also had good body (I am assuming that came from the nuts they add.)

Now, the traditional mole dish is chicken mole, where cooked chicken is combined with mole and usually served with beans, rice, and tortillas.  So of course, when I got my bottle, I couldn’t do chicken mole.  Where’s the challenge?

Ready to see what I did?

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Chicken Taco Filling

Looking for something to do with your chicken?

How about making

Chicken Taco Filling

This recipe restored my faith in slow cooked chicken.  It uses dark meat, in this case thighs, because they are juicer and they have better flavor than white meat.  As it turns out, this is one of my family’s favorite taco fillings, though because it is stewed, it takes a while to prepare.

The good news is that making Mexican chicken is something that can be done the night before.  Simply prepare the liquid, add the chicken, and let it simmer for about two hours. If it is not going to be eaten immediately, remove the chicken and put it into a storage bag with about half a cup of the juice to keep the chicken moist in the refrigerator.  Save the rest of the liquid in a second plastic storage bag.  Continue where noted in the recipe for an amazing Tex Mex meal.

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Soyrizo Taquitos – Junk Food Post #8

Vegan TaquiotsAnd now… day 8 of unResolution month.  Hopefully at this point, unResolution month needs no introduction and you are happily eating away.  (And maybe going to the gym. :))

Today, I turn the focus of unResolution month from comfort foods (with a minor deviation into cookies) to straight vegetarian/vegan food that also happens to be ridiculously bad for you.  Because, after all I did become veg for the health benefits. 🙂

So anyway…

Vegan Soyrizo Taquitos

This is one of my all-time favorite vegan meals.  Taquitos are small tubes of tortilla that have been rolled with flavorful, (usually Mexican-inspired) filling.  Usually it’s beef, but sometimes chicken or chorizo.  Once the rolling is done, the whole thing is tossed into a deep fryer and made extra delicious because everything is better when fried.

Of course, if this weren’t unResolution month I would say roll them, stick them with a toothpick and bake them with a light coating of olive oil.  But this is unResolution month and you must fry!!!

Oh, and if you are wondering what Soyrizo is…it’s a soy based chorizo meat alternative.  I actually like it better than a lot of real chorizo that I have had because it is not nearly as oily.  Still, it’s kind of grainy, so it works best hidden a dish.

Making the Soyrizo Taquitos

Taquito construction is very simple and this recipe is no different.

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Mexican Pinto Beans

Even though I said I’d be doing a lot of Chinese cookery over in the blog, tonight I decided to finally break down and make my own refried beans. 

I found this little article on how to make them.

The article described a fast way and a slow to make them.  I went with the fast way which said to rinse the beans for 60 seconds, bring them to boil in a pot of water deep enough that they were covered by at least three inches of water, simmer for 15 minutes, and then let them sit for an hour.

Seeing as how this was the “fast way” and it involved heat, I thought I’d be making tacos in an hour and fifteen minutes.

After about 3 hours my wife points out the line in the how to which reads that once you’ve done the fast way, you then have to cook them for an additional four hours before the are ready to eat.

So tonight’s dinner…leftovers.  Tomorrow: tacos!

I did get one good pic of them.

 

And perhaps waiting a day will make me want them more.

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